Birthday Cards
by XxShawns Guardian AngelxX
Summary: Its Bret's birthday today but the card he usually gets every year from his special friend doesn't come which makes him both angry and sad. However, despite the lack of a card, he ends up getting something better. Implied SLASH but not really.
1. Birthday Cards

**~*X*~**

**Birthday Cards**

**~XX*XX~**

_For my Shawn and Bret...Happy birthday loves...and any BHBK fans..._

Bret was only too eager to go outside and check the mail today. Besides the fact that today was his birthday, it was also one of the more important days of the year and not necessarily _because_ it was his birthday. It was only because it was his birthday that getting a card from _him_ didn't seem out of the norm or wouldn't if anyone actually knew about it.

Bret opened his mailbox and pulled out a stack of letters and cards. Bills, bills, card from Vince, card from his niece, more bills… Bret went through every bit of the mail – more than once just to be sure – but there was no card from him. Bret frowned. Did the mailman make a mistake? No. It was the middle of the week and very rarely did the mailman make a mistake. Besides, today would mark 12 years and in the last 11 the mailman had not made a mistake. He always, always received a card from him only this year, it seemed, he would not.

Bret didn't even have the heart to bring the mail in just yet. He shoved everything back in the box and hurried back towards the house taking a seat on the steps. He always wondered when and if this day would come. You know, the day he was suddenly forgotten about. Or if not forgotten about then deemed not important enough to bother with this year. He figured it was bound to happen sooner or later but he never thought it would exactly hurt him. But then, he never expected something so trivial like a birthday card to mean so much to him, especially coming from someone who had long been his enemy and arch rival but somewhere down the line, or at some point over the years, he had allowed himself to become accustomed to getting a card from him. He had, most unexpectantly, come to care more than he should about said card, but then, it was from _him _so it didn't shock him as much as it would have had it been someone other than him.

Bret's thoughts were all over the place and rightfully so since he was trying very hard not to let this ruin his birthday. However, he was pretty sure that he was unreasonably angry since he never exactly told_ him_ thank you for any of the cards. In fact, he wasn't friends with said card sender – not really – but then he wasn't his enemy either. They just weren't exactly openly friendly due to all kinds of circumstances that technically wasn't either of their faults, but shit happens and so here they were. Of course, they'd always had a sort of complicated friendship and after things went about the way that they did, Bret always knew it would be like this forever.

Sad. Bret was sad. He'd come to this conclusion after a tear stained his shorts. He was about to cry all over a silly little card that he didn't get this year despite the ten others that were crowding his mailbox from relatives and other friends. But the other friends were not _him_ and therefore a card from them didn't mean as much as a card from _him_ meant.

Too much thinking. Bret was thinking too much and decided that he needed to bring in the rest of the mail and go get ready to celebrate his birthday. It was just one silly little card and since he didn't get one from _him_, it would make it easier to go back to pretending to hate the man's guts even if as he thought these things, more tears clouded his eyes. Bret slowly strolled back to the mailbox, once again pulling out the stack of mail going through it several times as if he was going to see something he missed the first five times.

"Hey Bret?"

Tap. Tap. Tap. He was tapped on his shoulder, which made him jump, the stack of mail falling to the ground. He quickly dropped down to gather the mail, receiving a little help from that which startled him. Their hands moved to pick up the last letter, a smaller hand somewhat covering his own and he looked up. Eyes. Blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes that had not changed in almost twelve years were staring back at him. A smile. There was a smile too, but it was almost too good to be true. Hair. Long, gorgeous blonde hair was not tied back like it normally was each week on tv. Instead it was hanging, shoulder length now and not as long as it was the last time they were face to face. He blinked, jerking his hand away as he hurriedly stood up. _He _smiled, standing with, his small smile growing wider. Bret shoved the mail back into the box, seemingly buying himself some time to find his voice.

"Happy Birthday Bret."

Bret slammed the box shut, turning to face _him_, eyes fighting to hold back any tears that wanted to spill over. "What are you doing here?" he asked after several long seconds of just staring at _him_ blankly.

_He_ smiled. "I ran out of cards," he said simply.

"And so you drove all the way up here to wish me happy birthday? And dressed—dressed like that?" he exclaimed. _He_ was wearing light pink slacks, a white button down and a matching pink vest with white stripes. His silver cross necklace, silver watch and diamond stud earrings capped off the look perfectly, irritating Bret slightly for even noticing. He looked beautiful.

He shrugged, smiling weakly. "Well I wanted to look presentable in case I ran into some of your family. Pink's your color – the whole lot of you wear it so I thought I'd try to blend in. Did I do alright or am I way off base here?" he asked humbly.

Bret was taken back. He…where was the smart ass, witty, cocky son of a gun he knew way back when? Where was the brashness of his tone? Where was the arrogant smirk? Or what about the playful tease in his eyes from their time? "Are you serious?" Bret asked, still quite unable to take his eyes off the man before him, taking his breath away like he did the day they met.

He nodded. "I am, but you don't look too thrilled to see me." He shrugged again. "It's okay. I didn't exactly expect a friendly welcome or anything. I don't deserve it and to be honest Bret, I'm just glad you didn't hit me. I had hoped the cards I sent over the years would be some indication to you that I am sorry for everything, but if not, again, it's okay." He backed away, giving Bret some space. He shoved his hands in his pockets staring down at the ground. "I wanted to look you in the eye and wish you happy birthday. I did that and now I just want to say I'm sorry for…everything." He didn't wait for a response. He just turned to leave, quickly hurrying towards his black caddy with every intention of driving back to the airport to head straight back to San Antonio.

"Shawn, wait!" Bret blurted it out. He was thinking it, but didn't necessarily mean to say it out loud. But then he didn't exactly want him to leave without the two of them having had a conversation so maybe the word vomit was a good thing. The blonde stopped near his caddy, turning to face him with a smile on his face.

"Yes?"

Bret rolled his eyes. "You didn't have to leave right away you know. You came all this way—at least come inside for a drink." _He_ looked a bit hesitant at first, probably nerves about going inside a house he hadn't been inside of in years, but Bret insisted.

"Sure. I can't stay long though. My plane leaves in an hour."

One hour. Bret smiled. Only an hour which meant Shawn could barely stay thirty minutes or else he would just miss his plane. It was perfect, for both of them. Once again Bret left the mail in the box and led Shawn to the house, both men ignoring any tension that may or may not have been present. Bret led Shawn to the kitchen and as he sat quietly, Bret fixed them both glasses of wine. Bret sat the tiny glass in front of Shawn, looking down at him with a small smile. "I hear you don't drink anymore, but I figured you'd be kind enough to have a little with me for old time's sake."

Shawn smiled, nodding his head. "Of course old friend." Bret took a seat at the end of the table, opting to sit across from him rather than near him for reasons that may or may not have had anything to do with the tension that was almost nonexistent to them both. They both sat quietly for several seconds, Bret wondering what to say to Shawn while Shawn admired the kitchen. After a while though, the nonexistent tension became a little too much for either of them and both found themselves blurting out questions.

"Wow," Shawn laughed.

"Yeah, I know," Bret said. "Guess we're being kinda silly."

"That or it's been so long that we hardly know where to begin."

Bret nodded. "Let's try this again. Since you broke the silence outside, how about I return the favor by asking you about your family? Tell me about home. How's your wife and kids?"

Shawn swirled his wine around, a light smile forming as he thought of his answer. "They're fine. My wife's pretty excited about my impending retirement next year while my kids are growing up way too fast for my liking."

Bret grinned. "Yeah, they do grow up pretty fast. I saw your little girl on Raw. She's very pretty."

"Yeah," he smiled, face glowing a little. "I thought it would be fun to include her rather than someone else's girl. I think she's gonna give everyone hell someday. I hope I'm wrong, but it's just a feeling," he joked.

"Oh yeah," he answered. "With that quick temper she's gonna drive everyone insane." Shawn merely chuckled, looking down at his drink as though embarrassed. "But even under that quick temper," Bret added quietly, "I noticed striking eyes that may get her out trouble from time to time." Shawn looked up and Bret smiled. "It's just a hunch, but I haven't been wrong yet."

"No, you haven't."

"She's beautiful you know…just like her parents." Shawn blushed opting to go back to his wine drinking, every now and then swirling the glass around as if he were at a wine tasting. Bret did the same. He sipped his drink quietly every now and then looking up at his old friend, their eyes locking from time to time seemingly melting away any hostilities that may have been present.

The uncomfortable silence was broken once again when Shawn suddenly stood to his feet. Bret's heart sank just a little when he feared Shawn was leaving but he wasn't. Instead, with glass in hand, he walked over to the old fireplace and picked up a photograph, examining it closely. It was a picture of Bret, Owen and Davey sitting on the grass outside their home grinning. "I often find myself thinking of Owen," he spoke quietly. "I guess it's because I wasn't there, a part of the company anymore when it happened and so sometimes I recall how much of a goof he could be."

Bret quietly rose to his feet, his own drink in hand as he quietly crossed the room. He stopped a few inches from Shawn, towering behind him looking at the photograph. He rarely looked at the pictures of Owen these days. Not because he was over Owen but because it always made him sad yet standing here now, looking at one with Shawn, made it a little easier. Bret's nose was tickled suddenly by the sweet smell of jasmine. He smiled, leaning in just a bit, his nose just barely brushing Shawn's tresses. "You know, even after you left, he still looked after me."

Bret jumped back a little when Shawn suddenly spun around, a smile plastered on his face. "I miss him too. He was my friend…" He looked down at his drink then spoke quietly. "Kinda like you were."

Bret waited a moment before reaching to thumb Shawn's face, lifting his chin in the process. With a smile, he simply replied, "Am." Shawn frowned, looking somewhat confused, his face coloring from the gesture. Bret only laughed a little before clinking their glasses together. "Am. I _am_ your friend and have been since the day we met and the day I received my first birthday card post Montreal." He raised his glass. "To old friends."

Shawn smiled, raising his glass. "I'll drink to that." Both men downed the last of their drinks and that's when Shawn glanced at his watch. Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes had passed which meant he needed to be leaving in at least ten to make it to the airport in time to catch his flight. Both men moved to set their glasses on the table then once again a rare tension formed as the two men avoided each other's gazes somewhat at a loss of what to say. Shawn kept glancing at his watch, the seconds slowly ticking by while Bret watched him, wishing he didn't have to go.

"Well I…should probably be going now."

Bret reached out to him pulling a strand of his hair. "Yeah, I suppose you should. Don't want you to miss your flight." Shawn stayed rooted in his spot though, allowing Bret to play with the strand, Bret's other hand moving to slide down his body feeling the silky material of the vest. Bret suddenly met Shawn's eyes again, his face softening at the sight of him. Lord knows Shawn was beautiful and even though it had been close to twelve years, time had been very kind to his old friend. "I'm holding you up. I know. You—you should walk away now before you miss your flight."

Shawn nodded his head. "I…yeah. I should go." He turned to leave but just as quickly stopped short of the door. "It's a shame about the way things turned out, but I guess in the end, all worked out for the best right?" He laughed a little, masking the sadness in his voice. "Good luck with the wedding. Your fiancé's a lucky woman."

Shawn didn't realize that Bret followed him to the door until he opened it and watched as it suddenly slammed shut. Shawn spun around and found himself trapped between Bret, who was towering over him, and the door. Bret looked down at Shawn, once again reaching down to thumb his cheek. Bret slid his other hand down Shawn's arm, taking his hand into his and then lifted it up. He glanced down at the watch smiling. "Two minutes. I think you still have two more minutes."

Shawn simply nodded as he closed the tiny gap between them, pressing his body to Bret's, his smaller arms encircling the man's waist. Bret sighed, his eyes tearing up from the heat that coursed through him from the contact. He brushed his lips across Shawn's forehead, not really kissing him since that would be wrong but wishing he could do more. Instead, he rubbed his cheek against his friend's lightly, their wet skin meshing together like it had once upon a time. "God…Shawn…"

Shawn held him tighter, not really responding since he too was fighting with his own knotted throat and hot tears. Once minute. They had one more minute before Shawn had to go. He knew this and like Bret he wanted to make the most of it. He pulled back a little looking up into eyes that matched his own forcing a smile on his face. With trembling hands he cupped Bret's face, wiping his tears away. Bret mirrored his action, reaching up to cup his face as well. They both laughed, choking back sobs as the seconds ticked on by. Ten seconds. They had roughly ten seconds. Shawn's hands moved to touch Bret's hair. "It's still soft," he managed.

"Like your lips probably are?" Bret asked weakly, suddenly feeling guilty for what he let slip. He bent his head pressing their foreheads together, their lips barely touching. Five seconds. "I'm sorry," he breathed.

Shawn licked his lips, his tongue just brushing Bret's lips making him groan. "I'm sorry too." Time was up. Bret wrapped his arms around Shawn hugging him one last time before he managed to release him. Shawn merely nodded his head, too sad to say anything more, before turning to once again pull open the door. At the last second, Bret quickly grabbed his friend from behind, holding him in place. He hugged him tightly then pressing his lips against Shawn's ear he whispered, "Thank you." And he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

He released Shawn but didn't have the heart to watch him leave so he shut the door behind him, leaning against the door crying quietly, never knowing that his friend was doing the same thing in his car. Several minutes passed before Bret had the strength to go outside again, the air in his home too thick for some reason now. Once again he found himself standing in front of his mailbox pulling out cards and letters that hardly meant anything to him now. As he walked back towards the house, he sifted through the letters telling himself that this time he would at least open them.

Bills…bills…a blank envelope? He stopped dead in his tracks staring at the blank letter that he was sure wasn't present before. Dropping all others, he quickly tore open the letter sobbing instantly when he pulled out a card, the card he'd been looking forward to reading earlier. He opened it up and in the familiar handwriting, it simply read,

_Happy Birthday Bret. I hope the rest of your day is filled with love and lots of sweets since I know you wouldn't have them any other time. Thanks for the drink and to answer your question about the suit, my daughter thought you'd like it. I hope she was right. Yes, I lied about the card, but just so you know, saints aren't perfect especially when they're missing someone special and would do anything to see them again. Until next time old friend, take care and at least pretend that you care about the other cards._

_Your friend,_

_Shawn_

Bret folded the card and stuffed it back in the envelope chuckling softly. He would eventually open the rest of his mail, but for now, he planned to go back inside and plan his own birthday surprise for an old friend.

**AN: Abrupt ending is abrupt, but I couldn't think of one. Yes, both my boys are of the Cancer zodiac. Go figure. No, neither of them are exactly gay, but if you're reading "Heart to Hart" then you know I've made them out to have a complicated friendship that just walks that fine line. Questions? Concerns? Just ask away. This is also posted on LJ but for those of you who dont have my LJ, I'm posting it here. Plus, you know I'm not good with oneshots so don't be surprised when I add to this one. I have a part II coming up from Shawn's POV but I'm not posting it until his b-day. After that...well...we'll see. Hope you enjoy it and once again, happy belated birthday Bret!**


	2. Birthday Surprises

**Birthday Surprises**

**~XX~00~XX~**

_Happy Birthday Shawn from your Guardian Angel and all your fans around the world..._

Shawn now had the daunting task of watching over the kids all by himself for the weekend. No big deal except he'd never exactly been left alone with just the two of them without his wife or Stephanie; somebody else, a lady figure if you will, to help him out. But he had no choice in the matter. His wife was only attending this wedding because the girl being wed was an old Nitro dancer and friend of hers. Since his wife had no idea what kind of people would be present, she felt like the kids should stay home and Shawn was only too eager to volunteer for the job. So instead of having to sit through yet another dull wedding, Shawn convinced his brother to act as his wife's date so that she didn't have to go alone as a third wheel to Kevin and his wife even though they didn't mind. But taking up the job as resident babysitter also meant being home alone on his birthday, which really wasn't _that_ big of a deal since his birthday never really meant much to him anyway.

Thursday and Friday were quite the days for Shawn and he couldn't help but fear he wouldn't make it another day without his wife. Cheyanne and Cameron were a handful, but not in a bad way. They were just always full of energy, something daddy wasn't exactly full of since he was still on vacation. He sighed again, thankful for the moment's peace as Cam and Chey tossed a ball around the yard for a while. The the last two days he was ordered to take them horseback riding, swimming, play kickball and tag, go dancing in the playroom as well as other things such as painting, wrestling and tea party.

"Daddy! Daddy! We want ice cream now!" Chey ran up to Shawn almost knocking him backwards on the porch followed by Cameron, who stood on the other side of him grinning. Shawn shook his head. They were too much but he wouldn't have them any other way.

"Alright. Let's go inside and I'll fix you two some. Geez."

"Yay!" Chey jumped up and down happily while Cam took off through the door heading straight for the kitchen. There was a sudden crash and then a loud "Ooops." Shawn groaned. This wasn't exactly how he envisioned spending his birthday; cleaning up broken glass but he supposed any time spent with his kids and not alone was better than nothing. He picked Cheyanne up and hurried into the house unaware that he was being watched.

**~XX*~*XX~**

Bret watched as his old friend went hurrying through the door laughing to himself. It was kinda strange seeing his old friend running around after two kids. It was strange because growing up Shawn just never struck him as the type who could handle working with kids let alone having to take care of some of his own. Bret pulled his car closer to the ranch parking to the side near the stables rather than near the garage. He wasn't sure how his unexpected visit would be received but it was too late to turn back now. He had no idea the wife wouldn't be here either and to be honest he had kinda hoped she would be. He was thinking about inviting them to the wedding and if they came together it might help with the weird tension and awkwardness he and Shawn always experienced when they were together. Then again, just seeing Shawn exhausted looking and sweaty on the porch made him think things that shouldn't even cross his mind. _What am I thinking? I haven't been here two minutes and already my brain is suffering!_

He got out of his convertible and as quietly as he could, approached the porch. He stopped at the screen door peering inside, laughing when he spotted his old friend lying on the couch, a leg and an arm hanging off of it. His eyes were closed, his white shirt half buttoned revealing skin Bret hadn't seen close up in years and his long, messy hair was half covering his face. Bret started to knock but then it was almost too perfect a sight to ruin by knocking. So as quietly as he could, he pulled the screen door open stepping inside. He may have taken about three steps towards his friend when his leg was suddenly grabbed from behind. He looked down smiling at the sight of little Cheyanne. She clung to his leg giggling hysterically as Bret playfully tried to wag her off. Next thing he knew he was being attacked from his other side by Cameron who was grinning just as happily. Bret laughed. "So does this mean I'm under arrest?" he asked quietly. They both nodded giggling. "But I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed as quietly as he could.

Cameron moved away from him laughing, pointing a fake sword at him. "You were trying to get daddy!"

Bret winced. "Yeah, I—I kinda was but you know it's his birthday so I was trying to get him in a good way," he reasoned.

Cheyanne pulled on his leg some more smiling. Bret couldn't resist picking her up holding the cutie in his arms while Cameron decided that Bret was safe enough to hug again. "You two are very welcoming," he laughed. "So does this mean I'm not a bad guy anymore?"

Cheyanne pressed her forehead to his giggling. "Oh no! You're not a bad guy."

"Yeah, we knew who you were all alone!" Cameron said proudly.

Bret laughed. "Alright. So who am I then?" he asked.

Cheyanne put her arms around Bret's neck resting her head on his shoulder while Cameron still held tightly to his side. "You're Uncle Bret," he beamed. "You're on lots of tapes with daddy."

"Mn hm…You're daddy's special friend," Cheyanne added quietly. "He misses you lots."

Before Bret could respond, Shawn stirred on the couch. He began stretching and yawning, calling out to Cameron in the midst of his half dream state. Cameron took off towards the couch eagerly climbing on his daddy. "Mn…Cameron you're too big to crawl all over daddy," he groaned, half opening his eyes.

"I know. I'm a big boy now daddy, but don't you want to see Uncle Bret?"

"Huh? Uncle Bret? Where did that come from?" he asked groggily.

Cheyanne giggled in Bret's arms and her giggling made Shawn suddenly remember that he was supposed to be babysitting. "Shoot." He quickly sat up on the couch pulling Cameron in his arms. "I'm being a bad daddy right now. I dozed off."

Cameron smiled. "It's okay daddy. Uncle Bret's here." Cheyanne giggled again and that's when Shawn finally looked over to see his baby girl nestled comfortably in Bret's arms, his old friend wearing a familiar smirk. It took everything he had to keep his cool, but it was very hard to do considering his heart was pounding so hard that he was certain Bret could hear it. His face was starting to heat up; something that usually happened when he was pierced by gorgeous dark eyes that seemed to look right through him.

"How's it feel to be 45 _old _friend?" Bret asked, breaking Shawn's trance. "By the way, she's a sweetheart. I'm not so sure she took after daddy after all," he teased, nuzzling the giggling girl.

Shawn blinked, his eyes hardly believing what he was seeing. Cameron climbed off of him, tugging at his arm. "Come on daddy. Get up. Aren't you excited to see Uncle Bret?"

"Yeah daddy. Aren't you excited to see Uncle Bret?" Bret repeated, a playful tease in his voice.

Shawn stood to his feet smiling at Bret and beaming at both his kids. "I _am_ happy to see Uncle Bret, but I'm afraid Uncle Bret will have to wait until after I go get cleaned up to get a proper greeting. You two have got me smelling a bad combination of tea, horses and sweat."

"It suits you cowboy," Bret teased.

Cameron moved away from Shawn running over to join Bret. "Hey Uncle Bret? Will you play with us while dad takes a shower? He'll be in there _forever_ so I think we got time to play a game."

Bret snickered, reaching down to run a hand through Cameron's hair. "Is that right?" he asked. "You mean to tell me _daddy_ takes longer showers than the average guy?" Both the kids nodded which in turn made Shawn pout.

"Hey! I don't take _that_ long," he laughed.

"Some things never change. Go," Bret ordered. "You go take your shower while I show the kids why Uncle Bret kicks serious booty on the Wii."

Cheyanne crawled down Bret's body making a mad dash for the couch. Both she and Cameron already had their Wii motes in hand while Shawn shook his head wondering how they could still have so much energy after all the playing they did this morning. Shawn nodded his head and started past Bret, but not before his hand was suddenly clasped and a whispered, "Princess" tickled his ear.

"Am not," he mumbled before taking off down the hall.

**~XX*~*XX~**

His quick shower ended up totaling almost forty five minutes, but that was mainly due to him freaking out about being alone with Bret. It wasn't that anything ever happened. It's just their friendship has always been so complicated that he himself often wondered if Bret realized just how fine that line was that they treaded from time to time. It almost always led to awkward tension that the two of them always caved into when left alone and Shawn wasn't so sure that it was such a good thing. That tension always made he himself question things about himself he shouldn't be questioning. But maybe it was all in his head. Maybe and yet how come whenever Bret touched him, his heart would pound, his hairs would stand, and his flesh burned? Yeah, maybe he'd get that answer someday. Then again, maybe he didn't want to know why.

After forty five minutes of trying to wash away nerves, Shawn finally emerged wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a gray tank, his hair loose and towel dried. As he approached the living room, he could hear the kids laughing loudly at Bret. Shawn stood in the hall watching as Bret failed tragically at a Mario Party mini game that required you to shoot your friends off of a raft before the time limit. Cameron and Cheyanne were still hanging on as Bret's aim was terribly off with the Wii mote. "I thought Uncle Bret was going to kick some major booty?" Shawn teased.

"Daddy!" Cheyanne dropped her remote and ran up to Shawn asking to be picked up again.

"Girl, you're putting on some weight," he grunted, picking her up and kissing her cheek. "I think we should lay off the tea and health cookies your mom keeps buying."

"Dad-deeeeeeeee!" she giggled. "Those don't get you fat. Mom said so and anyway, aren't you gonna play with Uncle Bret now? You _did_ tell us you missed him."

Shawn was certain his face was coloring now because he could feel Bret's eyes boring into him. "Uh…well—

"Uncle Bret can't play with daddy right now Cheyanne," Cameron answered. "He promised to tell us a story if he lost the game."

Shawn looked over at Bret who nodded. "I did promise them a story so…" He glanced down at his watch. "Since it's kinda late in the afternoon I figured you would be getting ready to fix them something to eat sooooooo…while you're playing mom in the kitchen, I'll play dad and tell them all kinds of funny stories about us old people."

"Alright!" Cameron yelled excitedly. Both he and Cheyanne took their places on the couch, Cameron sitting next to Bret while Cheyanne climbed in his lap.

"Alright mommy. You heard the kids. Go be the wonderful mommy that you are and fix dinner," Bret teased.

Shawn raised his brows smirking. "Uncle Bret and I might have to discuss this later."

He smirked. "I look forward to it wifey."

An hour later they were all sitting at the table helping themselves to burgers, fries, and ice cream cake the kids bought Shawn for his birthday. Cheyanne kept taking fries off of Shawn's plate when he wasn't looking while Bret kept putting his finger in Shawn's plate stealing icing off of his cake. Cameron would purposely distract his father, allowing the stealing to take place until Shawn finally caught Bret.. He gave Bret his best mom face watching as he slowly licked icing off of his fingers. Bret then was so bold as to do it again only this time he used his finger to rub the icing on Shawn's lips while the kids laughed at them.

"Now daddy has red lips like mommy," Cheyanne pointed out not noticing her dad's coloring face.

"Yes, and before mommy decides to lick her lips, daddy would like to get a picture," Bret teased.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "In your dreams Hitman." He licked his lips slowly, Bret's eyes watching every move his tongue made smirking at the playful challenge in Shawn's eyes. "Now then. If everybody's done teasing "mommy", she'd like to get everything cleaned up so we can go watch movies."

Both Cheyanne and Cameron quickly escaped the kitchen making a mad dash for the living room leaving Bret and Shawn alone in the kitchen. When they were out of sight, Shawn looked over at Bret trying to look somewhat pissed off. "Did you really have to do that?" he asked.

Bret blinked. "Do what?" he asked, a blank look on his face.

Shawn quirked his brow. "You know full well what I'm talking about and it doesn't help that you've been calling me "mommy" all evening."

Bret grinned. "Hey! You make a wonderful mommy and besides, I don't think they're thinking much of it. When mommy's away, daddy picks up the mommy role. That's just how it is."

"And you're now daddy?"

Bret quirked his own brow. "How much different is that from me being 'Uncle Bret' all of a sudden?" he inquired. Shawn looked away staring down at his plate. "Uh huh, but it's not like I mind it," he added. "I'd rather be Uncle Bret and mommy's special friend than nothing at all."

Shawn turned to his friend, still blushing like mad. "I didn't—I never imagined she'd actually get the chance to tell that bit of info."

Bret leaned closer to his friend, once again sticking his finger in the plate full of icing. "Is it true?" he asked. "Am I really your special friend?" He didn't wait for Shawn to respond. Instead he raised his hand, running the icing coated finger all around Shawn's lips again grinning like mad at the scowl on his friend's face. "Awe come on princess. Live a little. It's your birthday."

"I get the feeling you're enjoying this way too much and anyway, daddies can't be princesses." His tongue darted out to lick his lips, but instead licked Bret's finger. He stopped, looking up at Bret wondering what the Hitman was thinking. His answer came quickly when Bret removed his finger, sticking it in his mouth.

"Mn…I think I _am_ enjoying this way too much and you're not a daddy right now," he pointed out. "You're a hot momma." He dipped his finger in the icing again, rubbing more on his friend's lips. This time he leaned in closer, their lips almost touching. "M-I-L-F," he teased.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that."

Bret moved away just as Cameron came running back into the kitchen. He laughed when he saw that his daddy's lips were still coated with icing. A second later Cheyanne joined them, standing with her tiny hands on her hips. "Daddy, are you playing with Uncle Bret right now?"

"I—I wasn't playing around!" he exclaimed.

"I think they _were_ playing around Cheyanne," Cameron said. "Daddy's lips are still covered in icing. I think they're still playing mommy and daddy too, but that's okay. I know if I haven't seen my best friend in a while I'd want to play with him too. Have fun dad—I mean, mommy and daddy." With a final wave both Cheyanne and Cameron ran back into the living room, starting up what sounded like The Lion King. Both Bret and Shawn cut each other looks before they finally started cleaning up the kitchen in silence, both men ignoring the awkwardness of the situation.

When they were finally finished cleaning up, they joined the kids on the couch. Cameron lay across his dad's lap while Cheyanne crawled in Bret's resuming her new favorite place, her head resting on his shoulder. They were only a few minutes into the movie but both children seemed to be dozing off. Shawn and Bret watched the movie quietly and it was only when Cameron started snoring that they decided to get them to bed. Shawn pulled Cameron into his arms leading Bret down the hall to their rooms. Cameron slept in the first room while Cheyanne slept in the room across from him. Both men tucked each child in, but Bret stayed with Cheyanne a little longer, watching her sleep for a while. She was so beautiful and reminded him of his niece when she was coming along as well as his own daughter who was all grown up now. He smiled, kissing her forehead before leaving to meet her dad in the hall. Bret leaned against her door smiling at Shawn. "Like I said a few weeks ago, beautiful kid. I'm afraid I'm a little attached now."

Shawn smiled. "That she is and I'm afraid she was attached first – both of them. I've never seen them take to someone so quickly. I don't think they took to Uncle Hunter that quickly to be honest."

Bret snorted. "Want me to tell you why?"

"No. Don't you dare," he warned. "Remember it's my birthday. I don't want any serious discussions to take place."

"Not even if they involve you playing mommy for the rest of the evening?" he joked.

"Oh, geez. You really know how to make things more awkward than necessary, but now that we're alone, I just have to know why you came all the way down here. My wife…I'm sure you had no idea she was going to be elsewhere but suppose she would have been here. What then?"

"Oh…I don't know…" Bret closed the gap between them, reaching up to move a piece of hair out of Shawn's face. "I suppose I'd have invited you both to the wedding."

"I see. So you don't think she would have been concerned about our renewed friendship all of a sudden?"

Bret shrugged. "Maybe, but when you're desperate to see that special friend again, you tend to do things without thinking them all the way through." He smiled. "I'd have come up with something."

"I'm sure you would have." He looked down for a moment, but just as quickly his chin was being raised forcing eye contact with his friend.

"Don't look away," he pleaded softly. "It's been so long…I miss seeing you."

"I look away because it's awkward. You know that."

Bret took his hands pulling him close. He sighed resting his head on Shawn's shoulder. "I know," he answered.

Shawn returned the embrace, holding his friend close. He too missed his special friend and because of his longing to be near the one who knew him best his kids now knew him as Uncle Bret. Watching old tapes of Bret and looking at old pictures sadly led to a very awkward conversation between him and the kids. Uncle Bret was the best he could do on such short notice. He sighed and Bret pulled away looking deep into sad eyes. "What's wrong?"

Shawn shook his head. "Nothing. Just…was thinking about the kids."

"I'm sorry Shawn. I might have played around too much tonight, but I honestly wasn't trying to confuse them. I just wanted to make you laugh. We were all having so much fun…I thought the whole mommy/daddy bit would amuse them."

"Oh, it's not that. It's…it's me and my whole shoving the title 'Uncle Bret' on you. It was an accident but after seeing you a few weeks ago, I found myself looking at old pictures. The kids caught me and you know how they are. They asked way too many questions and in the end, I made up some bogus story about us being close like me and 'Uncle Hunter'. I'm sorry. I just…didn't know what else to say and I refuse to let them get caught up in the whole Montreal conspiracy. I don't want them growing up thinking we actually hated each other because at one point, we really were good friends."

"Are." Bret cupped his face. "We _are_ good friends Shawn. I don't think anything can change that now unless…" He paused knowing that what he was about to say could very well ruin the entire day, but he was fairly certain he wouldn't get an opportunity like this ever again.

"Unless what?"

Bret took Shawn by the hand and led him back into the living room. Bret took a seat on the couch then effortlessly pulled Shawn down in his lap. He played in his hair for a moment admiring each curly strand. "I haven't had the chance to really play with you Shawn. Is it alright? Can I—can I play with you for a few?"

Shawn really didn't know how to answer this, especially since he wasn't exactly sure what Bret meant by 'play'. But then he didn't want to say no because truth be told, he wanted to 'play' with his friend as well. Instead of answering one way or the other, he just closed his eyes, purring softly when Bret leaned up pressing their bodies together. He rubbed his cheek against Shawn's, sliding his hands down his back. "I could play with you forever Shawn. That's just how much you mean to me."

Shawn felt himself being lifted slightly and then pushed back on the couch. His eyes opened suddenly meeting Bret's as his friend lowered himself on top of him. Shawn was panicking on the inside but sinfully enjoying his time with Bret. He ran his own hand across Bret's face watching Bret's eyes close as he grabbed at the hand, kissing the back of it tenderly. Shawn watched, his breathing coming in short spurts as Bret brushed his lips all the way up his body, his hands sliding underneath the tank ghosting across his bare flesh.

Shawn whimpered, the feeling burning him to the core. Bret pressed his lips to Shawn's ear, massaging his cheek with his own. "I think I'm enjoying this way too much." He sat back on his knees bringing Shawn with him. He laid back pulling Shawn down with him their cheeks brushing ever so lightly again. His hands found themselves wandering down his back stopping at the curve of his rear.

"Bret?"

Bret grabbed hold of Shawn's face, looking at him sadly. "You…I would never…I just…you understand right?"

Shawn nodded, his own hands sliding up and down Bret's chest.

* * *

**AN: Nothing happened in my world which gives me room to continue this should I get bored enough to do it and Okay. So I know this part was wrong on every level but I couldn't help it. I've never exactly gone "there" but I wanted to go "there" without actually going "there". I think that fine line was walked ever so carefully don't you think? Lots of fluff but when kids are involved, it usually turns out that way. Kids are so gosh darn innocent. Mommy and daddy. I still laugh at this, but hey, you know it could work. I could so make a full story out of this. Like, you have no idea, but I won't. I just…that would mean lots and lots of angst and gah. Not in the mood for it. Hope you enjoyed my birthday presents to the evil BHBK musi. Funny thing about this is that I really had no plot for this second part. It was only an image I had of Bret holding little Cheyanne that spawned this one. I just needed an excuse to make it happen and so uh…yeah. I'm weird I know, but come on.**


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